The ruling party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced criticism after sharing a cartoon video on social media platform X, targeting minority Muslims amid the ongoing national election.
In India, electoral guidelines prohibit campaigning based on communal incitement. However, the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has frequently invoked religious divisions during its campaign.
The video, posted on an official BJP account, depicted opposition politicians plotting to abolish special affirmative action programs for marginalized Hindu groups and allocate them to Muslims instead.
On Tuesday, the election commission contacted the platform`s Indian office, flagging the post as "objectionable" and in violation of Indian law.
By Wednesday, the original post had vanished from the platform, replaced with a notice stating its deletion.
Opposition party Congress filed a police complaint, alleging the video promoted "enmity between different religions."
Modi, widely anticipated to secure a third term, has echoed similar sentiments to the video during campaign speeches. He has referred to Muslims as "infiltrators" and criticized their birth rates, drawing condemnation from rivals.
In his latest address, Modi warned that political opponents would divert affirmative action policies from disadvantaged Hindus to Muslims.
Despite India`s secular constitution, Modi`s government has often centered the nation`s majority Hindu faith in its politics, bolstering his popularity. However, this stance has fueled concerns among India`s Muslim population, exceeding 220 million, about their future in the country.
Last month, the BJP sparked controversy with another animated video on Instagram, suggesting that if the opposition gained power, they would redistribute wealth from non-Muslims to Muslims. The video was removed after users reported it for hate speech.
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